The Board of Directors

Meet our people

Our Board of Directors is pleased to focus on important initiatives to further diversity and inclusion in the mining industry.

Social norms, cultural stereotypes, power and privilege in organizations provide the “invisible foundation” for organizational decisions about which jobs and opportunities are suitable for certain types of workers.

The 2022 Board of Directors

Melissa Ng

Chair
Melissa is a Professional Geologist with deep rooted operational and exploration experience in the mining industry. During this time, she has held several geology positions with multiple North American mining companies in various commodities. This type of site-based rotation work has allowed her to pursue her passion while maintaining her family’s home base in Edmonton, AB. She holds an MBA from Athabasca University and a B.Sc. from the University of Alberta. She is an active member of mine rescue and emergency response and is a dynamic part of growth and change at the companies she works for. Her current role as the Chief Geologist at one of Cameco Corporation’s northern operations allows her to lead and develop young minds along their career and leadership journeys. Her personal leadership philosophy is: support those around you and allow them to become better than you ever were!

Mélanie LaRoche-Boisvert

Vice Chair
Mélanie is an open pit mine planner with DRA Global, where she works on various studies for new and expanding mining projects around the world. She holds a B.Eng. in Mining Engineering from McGill University as well as an M.Eng from McGill University, focusing on integrating mine-to-port transportation into the simultaneous stochastic optimization of open-pit mining complexes. She is a past Executive with Young Mining Professionals (YMP) Toronto and YMP Scholarships, and has previously been a volunteer with Women in Mining Canada for four years before joining the Board.

Valeria Cardozo Noriega

Treasurer
Valeria Cardozo is a Senior Manager in the audit practice of KPMG Canada’s Energy and Natural Resources. Valeria has over 15 years’ experience providing audit, risk, and control services to large and medium sized corporations over a wide variety of industries including mining. Her experience includes conducting business in Latin America, Peru for over 10 years with an additional 2 years in the United Kingdom. Valeria is currently involved in internal activities at KPMG to support inclusion, diversity, and equity. In her role as president of Ibero-America Network (Hispanic people network for the past 5 years), she develops, promotes, and executes community/business related initiatives focused on Latin America in the Greater Toronto Area. In addition, Valeria has been involved in leading the first external mentorship program for senior female managers for the mining industry launched in 2021. Other volunteering activities within the Hispanic community includes her involvement as a member of the board of Directors in the Peruvian Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Toronto.

Sheila Colman

Secretary
Sheila is the Vice President, Legal and Corporate Secretary of Lundin Gold Inc., owner of the Fruta del Norte gold mine in Ecuador. Sheila has executive oversight responsibilities for legal, governance and compliance matters for the Company. Before joining Lundin Gold in 2015, Sheila served as Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Denison Mines Corp., a uranium mining company, and Corporate Secretary and counsel to Uranium Participation Corporation. Sheila has almost 20 years of experience working with public companies and boards of directors in the mining sector at various stages of development and in different jurisdictions. She has extensive experience in board governance matters and risk oversight and leads on aspects of ESG at Lundin Gold. She is co-leading Lundin Gold’s DE&I work, including the alignment of the Company’s practices with the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and is also co-leading on Lundin Gold’s climate action, including the adoption of TCFD. Sheila is a member of both the British Columbia and Ontario Bars and has a Global Competent Boards designation (GCB.D) from Competent Boards.

Alina Antonie

Alina has extensive governance and compliance experience in the mining industry. Alina has professional competency in Board Leadership, Corporate Governance, Strategy, Audit and Enterprise Risk Management, both as Chair of the Finance Committee and Board Member of a not-for-profit organization based in Toronto, and also from extensive interactions with Boards in the private sector. Alina was fortunate to meet some exceptional women who have had a significant impact on her professional and personal growth. Also, she had the unique opportunity to travel to the sites and meet teams with diverse professional and cultural backgrounds. And, although in many places the representation of women is low, the constant feedback is that women are instrumental in enhancing the safety culture, identifying ways to improve the wellbeing of the team, and driving positive results. Alina is passionate about community development and mentoring, and a strong supporter of hands-on volunteering. Alina will be honoured to give back and help other women succeed in the industry as part of WiM Canada.

Jennifer Cameron

Jennifer Cameron is the Director, Investor Relations at Dundee Precious Metals, a Canadian-based mid-tier gold producer. Jennifer has over 16 years of experience as an investor relations professional with publicly-listed mining companies. Prior to joining Dundee Precious Metals, she spent 15 years with Kinross Gold Corporation in progressively senior investor relations positions, and has extensive experience providing investor relations support during a significant number of M&A transactions, equity and debt financings and leading various communications initiatives. Jennifer previously served as a volunteer with Women in Mining Canada’s Communications committee prior to joining the Board in May 2021.

Kassandra Del Greco

Ms. Del Greco is an Associate at Resource Capital Funds, working for the Opportunities Fund. Kassandra began her career as a field-based exploration geologist in Quebec, working for companies such as Goldcorp and Eastmain Resources, before relocating to Denver to begin a career in private equity. Kassandra is a registered professional geologist in the province of Quebec, holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Victoria with a specialization in tectonics and structural geology, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University in Earth and Planetary Science. In addition, she is a member of the Women in Mining U.S.A. Denver chapter, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, the Association of Mineral Exploration of British-Columbia, and Toastmasters USA. Within the mining industry, Kassandra is passionate about the promotion of diversity and inclusion, mentorship for early career professionals and students, and ESG. She is a mentor for the Young Mining Professionals mentorship program and works within Resource Capital Funds as a champion for diversity and inclusion.

Rashida McLean

Ms. McLean has 12 years of legal, corporate governance and regulatory compliance experience in the mining, renewable energy, banking, and oil and gas sectors. She is presently Corporate Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Africa Oil Corp., a Canadian oil and gas company with producing and development assets in deepwater Nigeria; development assets in Kenya; and an exploration/appraisal portfolio in Africa, as well as Guyana. Prior to joining Africa Oil Corp., Ms. McLean served as Corporate Counsel for Lundin Gold Inc., a Canadian mining company that owns the Fruta del Norte gold mine in southeast Ecuador. Ms. McLean has been involved in a broad range of corporate transactions and corporate governance matters for several publicly listed companies. She has served as Corporate Secretary for Orca Gold Inc. a Canadian resource company focused on exploration and development opportunities, prior to the company’s acquisition by Perseus Mining Limited. She has also served as Legal Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Finavera Wind Energy Inc., now Solar Alliance Energy Inc. Ms. McLean graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A.(Hons) and then received her law degree from the University of Victoria. She is a member of both the British Columbia and Ontario Bars.

Sekai Musoki

Sekai Musoki is a Construction Specialist with BHP. She is currently posted at BHP’s Jansen Mine as part of the Construction Systems and Analytics team. Her focus is supporting the deployment of Construction Systems to contractors, and finding ways to utilize construction data to find efficiencies through each phase of the project. She moved to Canada from Zimbabwe to study Civil Engineering at Memorial University in Newfoundland. Having lived on two continents and traveled across six, she has developed a keen interest in understanding the world’s cultures and a desire to use her experience to make a positive impact in her spheres of influence. Sekai’s passion for diversity and inclusion is inspired by the intersectionality of her own experience as a BIPOC female immigrant. She believes that diversity is a strength that can be leveraged in organizations to improve organizational performance and outcomes. Sekai believes that visibility counts and hopes to use her influence to create an industry where young people, regardless of their gender or ethnicity, can see themselves represented at all levels.

Maria Vallejo Garcia

Maria is an experienced business professional with a background in mining engineering with a focus on novel techniques for financial valuation, and problem-solving strategies for complex mining projects. With more than 13 years of experience, she has worked with large-cap mining companies as well as prestigious equity firms and consulting companies. Her global knowledge spans mining ventures at all stages of development and across a variety of commodities. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Mining and Metallurgy Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, a Master's degree in Stochastic Mine Planning from McGill University, and a number of certifications and post-graduate diplomas. Maria is a firm believer in the importance of the economic empowerment that education and job opportunities can bring to women in STEM. Her own story of success and empowerment is her motivation to keep working for women's rights, opportunities, participation, and retention in the mining industry. Maria is an advocate for mental health programs, reflecting her personal commitment to the importance of recognizing mental health as a pillar for the success of women in the workplace. In addition, Maria is an executive member of Hispano Mine and a professional mentor for CIM.

Suzanne VanSligtenhorst

Suzanne VanSligtenhorst has almost thirty years of legal experience with both law firms and corporations. She joined New Gold in July 2019 as Corporate Law Clerk and is now Corporate Governance Associate. She is a Fellow of The Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario and has sat on its Board of Directors for over ten years as Co-Chair of Education, Chair of Public Relations and most recently as Secretary to the Board. She is a recipient of the 2022, 2021 and 2020 Modern Governance 100, a program dedicated to the recognition of influential governance leaders who have demonstrated resilience, dedication and empathy in the face of complex and challenging times, when good governance matters more than ever.

Uchitta Vashist

Uchitta is the Principal Operational Technology Analyst at Lundin Mining Corporation. In her role, she is responsible for technology research, evaluation, and analysis of digital technologies for automation of mining operations. Uchitta holds Masters in both Mining and Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University and has almost 5 years of experience in the mining world which includes academic research, metallurgy operations & development projects, and most recently in operational technology. Uchitta joined Women in Mining Canada as a Volunteer in 2022 with the motivation of continued involvement in initiatives that support underrepresented groups and has been part of the Chapters committee. As an international student too, Uchitta was actively involved in the community and part of multiple student leadership roles at Queens University including Vice President (community relations) of the graduate student government. She has been a continuous member of international support groups promoting diversity as deputy international commissioner and co-founder of a culture awareness and peer mentorship club which is active and growing since its inception in 2019.

Past Directors

  • Diane Arcand
  • Mafalda Arias
  • Douglas Bolton
  • Bethany Borody
  • Anne-Marie Bosse
  • Teri Brigden
  • Kathy Chapman
  • Heather Cheeseman
  • Curtis Clarke
  • Jamile Cruz
  • Kristin Cuddington
  • Kevin D’Souza
  • Heather Ednie
  • Stacey Ferguson
  • Resa Furey
  • Charmaine Gazdic
  • Siri C. Genik
  • Catherine Gignac
  • Tara Gilfillan
  • Leanne Hall
  • Mary Louise Hall
  • Susie Henderson
  • Alex Hood
  • Rick Hutson
  • Nancy Komperdo
  • Jennifer Koury
  • Cynthia La Sueur-Aquin
  • Anne Lewis
  • Jean Lucas
  • Valentina Marinova
  • Sharon McLeod
  • Angelina Mehta
  • MaryAnn Mihychuk
  • Angelica Mirza
  • Marie-Francine Poitras
  • Charles Riopel
  • Catherine Shaw
  • Kelly Stark-Anderson
  • Tabetha Stirret
  • Melanie Sturk
  • Karen Trenton
  • Marie-Hélène Turgeon